Process of oxidizing ferrous to ferric solutions.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER MOKECHNIE, 0F BIRMINGHAM, AND FREDRIC GEORGE BEASLEY, OF

SMETHWICK, BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND.

PROCESS OF QXIDIZING FERROUS TO FERRIC SOLUTIONS.

1 ,047,826. No Drawing.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed April 15, 1912. Serial No. 690,996.

Patented Dec. 17,1912.

To all w/z om 1' t may concern.

Be it known that we, ALEXANDER Mo- KncnNIE, residing at. Rotten Park street, Birmingham, England, copper-smelter, and Funmuo Gnoncn BnAsLEY, residing at 44 Green street, Smethwick, Birmingham, England, chemical engineer, both subjects of the King of Great Britain, have invented certain new and useful Improvements Relating to Processes of Oxidizing' Ferrous to Ferric Solutions, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to the manufacture or production of solutions of ferric sulfate or ferric chlorid, and has for its object, to provide a commercial method or process for rapidly producing these ferric solutions by the direct oxidation of ferrous liquors, such as are at present obtained in metallurgical and other operations as relatively valueless by-product.

The oxidation of ferrous solutions by means of atmospheric oxygen, or by treatment with air in open tanks under normal or low temperatures and atmospheric pressure, proceeds so'slowly that the process is practically useless for commercial purposes,

and while it has been proposed to accelerate the aerial oxidation of ferrous solutions by trea'ting'the same with calcium hydrate in high open vessels and blowing air through the mass in the same way as is donewith manganous solutions in the Weldon process, this method of treatment has the disadvantage that it introduces calcium salts into the solutions, which impurity can only be removed with diificulty and at considerable expense. But according to the present invention, ferrous solutions in considerable volume or bulk can be rapidly and completely converted into ferricsolutions without the aid of extraneous reagents and without the additionrof foreign substances or proceeds so rapidly ma intain therein a mospherlc pressure while the solutions are also heated above their boiling point, subheated above their boiling point: and our' shown that when ferrous solutions in bulk are subof air and heated to a experiments have sulfate or chlorid jected to the action temperature exceeding 100 C. sure of 10 atmospheres or upward, the same are directly oxidized into ferric sulfate or chlorid according to the reaction (in the case of sulfate salt) I and that such oxidation is so accelerated or to completion, that large volumes of solvent-acting ferric solutions can be cheaply produced under commercial conditions.

-What we claim is 4 A process for the manufacture of ferric solutions by the direct oxidation of ferrous solutions, consisting in treating such ferrous solutions, in a closed vessel, with air which 'is' blown or forced into the said vessel to pressure exceeding atstant-ially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands 1n presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALEXANDER MGKECHNIE. FREDRIC GEORGE BEASLEY.

Witnesses:

SADLER,

ARTHUR E. J Rnnvn.

under a pressaid "essel under a 

